Comments on: Linking mass extinctions to the Sun’s journey in the Milky Way https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/linking-mass-extinctions-to-the-suns-journey-in-the-milky-way/ Mon, 23 Sep 2013 21:03:57 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Edward https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/linking-mass-extinctions-to-the-suns-journey-in-the-milky-way/#comment-110611 Mon, 23 Sep 2013 21:03:57 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=24851#comment-110611 In reply to Robert Zimmerman.

Think about playing marbles where the marbles are all 100 feet apart (and that is only 2-dimensional space).

]]> By: Pzatchok https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/linking-mass-extinctions-to-the-suns-journey-in-the-milky-way/#comment-110570 Mon, 23 Sep 2013 12:46:25 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=24851#comment-110570 I wonder if passing through the galacticaly denser areas of the arms would cause a higher rate and possibility of gamma bursts hits?

Another thing that could cause mass extinctions.

And some of those mass extinctions events could have been caused by the effects of living organisms on the planet. Aerobic vs anaerobic. At times we have had higher concentrations of gases other than those we have now. Past life forms could have been more susceptible to slight changes in the atmosphere than those we have now.

Thus not having anything to do with our planets position in the galaxy.

]]> By: Edward https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/linking-mass-extinctions-to-the-suns-journey-in-the-milky-way/#comment-110423 Sun, 22 Sep 2013 00:11:31 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=24851#comment-110423 In reply to Robert Zimmerman.

To give some perspective, the solar system is about 10 light-hours in radius. The nearest star, Alpha Centauri, is about four light years away (). The ratio is around 5,000 to 1, or about four orders of magnitude difference. Alpha Centauri, (and other stars) has a huge volume to move around in without coming very close to our solar system.

Yeah, that’s big, all right.

]]> By: Patrick Ritchie https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/linking-mass-extinctions-to-the-suns-journey-in-the-milky-way/#comment-110420 Sat, 21 Sep 2013 20:03:41 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=24851#comment-110420 Fascinating, I’m thrilled to see some research being done on this topic, the relatively evenly spaced extinction events in the earth’s past always struck me as unlikely to be purely coincidental. It’s good to see real science being done on the topic.

]]> By: Keith https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/linking-mass-extinctions-to-the-suns-journey-in-the-milky-way/#comment-110408 Sat, 21 Sep 2013 17:25:27 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=24851#comment-110408 It looks fairly close to the next extinction event spot.
How long until we get there?
Should I mark my calendar and start hoarding canned goods?

]]> By: Robert Zimmerman https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/linking-mass-extinctions-to-the-suns-journey-in-the-milky-way/#comment-110369 Sat, 21 Sep 2013 04:32:00 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=24851#comment-110369 In reply to mpthompson.

Space is really that big.

]]> By: mpthompson https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/linking-mass-extinctions-to-the-suns-journey-in-the-milky-way/#comment-110363 Sat, 21 Sep 2013 03:09:05 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=24851#comment-110363 What has always fascinated me is that in the 4.5 billions years since the birth of the solar system, we apparently haven’t passed close enough to another star while orbiting the galaxy to seriously disrupt the orbit of the planets. Are we just really lucky or is space really that big?

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